Hide and Seek
by Tres Mechante
Summary: Catherine discovers something growing in the fridge - something that seems to have a life of its own... Response to Unbound improv challenge


**Hide and Seek**  
By Tres Mechante  
  
**Summary:** Catherine discovers something growing in the fridge – something that seems to have a life of its own. Will it take over the lab? And who is the mad scientist that created it?  
  
**A/N:** Just a wee bit of night shift silliness, as the plot bunnies were feeling frisky. Response to _Unbound_ improv challenge. First and last lines given, up to author to fill in the space between – in a thousand words, more or less. Complete with a brief GS interlude.  
  
**Disclaimer:** _CSI _and its associated universe do not belong to me. No copyright infringement intended. Everyone will be returned to the _CSI_ universe none the worse for visiting mine.  
  
=== === === ===  
  
There was something growing in the break room fridge again. Or maybe it was actually decomposing. Catherine wasn't quite sure which, but she was sure of the culprit.  
  
"Grissom!" She yelled, slamming the fridge door shut and heading off down the hallway, almost running over Nick in her haste. Barging into Grissom's office, Catherine was momentarily startled to see him and Sara standing close together, engaged in what appeared to be an intense and personal conversation. "Mister you are in big trouble," she said once she recovered.  
  
"Something I can do for you Catherine," asked Grissom calmly, not taking his eyes from Sara, who was looking back at him with equal intensity.  
  
"Hey, I'm talking to you," she said, trying to get his attention. "You promised no more experiments in the break room fridge."  
  
"And I've kept my promise."  
  
"Oh, right. And what do you call the gross stuff in the fridge? You put it there, you remove it!"  
  
"Catherine, I have no idea what you are talking about,"  
  
Catherine grabbed his arm and started pulling him out the door toward the break room. "Come with me," she said. Grissom looked back towards Sara, who merely shrugged her shoulders and followed.  
  
Once inside, Catherine threw open the fridge door and asked, "What do you call that?"  
  
Grissom peered inside the fridge. He looked at Catherine and then at Sara. Sara looked inside the fridge, then at Grissom and then at Catherine. "There's nothing in there," said Sara.  
  
"It's right..." Catherine stopped, stunned at the empty space. "It was right there. It jiggled and looked just gross," she said.  
  
Grissom closed the fridge door. "Maybe who ever it belonged to removed it," he said, leaving the room with Sara and disappearing back down the hall.  
  
Sighing, Catherine went to talk to Hodges. The results from her evidence should be done by now, she thought, giving the fridge a bewildered look before leaving.  
  
Almost two hours later, Catherine entered the break room in search of something to drink. Opening the fridge to get a bottle of water, she stopped and stared. It was back – and this time there seemed to be things growing on it. Slamming the door, she backed away quickly, bumping up against the table.  
  
Who could be responsible for that...that..._thing_? Was it some kind of juvenile prank? Juvenile...? "Greg!" she muttered.  
  
Moving quickly through the hall to the DNA lab, she almost ran over Nick. Entering the lab, Catherine advanced on Greg. "You are in so much trouble," she told him.  
  
"Me?" he yelped. "I didn't do anything. I'm too busy to do anything."  
  
"I'm talking about the science experiment growing out of control," she interrupted.  
  
"Experiment? Catherine I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Come with me," she said, taking him by the arm and pulling him down the hall to the break room.  
  
"Ooh, I love a take charge woman," Greg said. "Planning to have your wicked way with me? Please?"  
  
She threw open the fridge door and pointed inside "Yours, I believe?"  
  
Greg looked in the fridge, looked at Catherine, then back into the fridge. "I'm not sure what you're referring to," he said hesitantly. "I will allow that I own the leftover soup."  
  
Catherine looked into the fridge. It was gone – again. What's going on around here?  
  
Greg watched her warily for a moment. When she showed no signs of acknowledging his presence, he reached out closed the fridge door and quietly left the room.  
  
Catherine jumped as her pager beeped. She took a steadying breath and headed out to meet Brass for an interrogation. It was almost the end of shift by the time she returned.  
  
Entering the break room, Catherine nodded a greeting to Archie and Jaqui. She approached the fridge and, carefully reaching out, she flung open the door. It was back. And this time there were crawly things all over it. She shuddered and backed up a step.  
  
"Is that cool or what?" commented Archie.  
  
Catherine was startled, having forgotten she was not alone. "What?"  
  
Archie pointed to the fridge. "Isn't that just the neatest thing you've ever seen?"  
  
"You can see it?" she asked in desperation.  
  
Archie and Jaqui looked at each other. "Of course we can see it," answered Jaqui. "Catherine, are you okay?"  
  
"Do you know what _that_ is?" she asked.  
  
"Dessert," said Jaqui. At Catherine's horrified look, Jaqui went over and pulled the dish from the fridge. "Nick's been working on it all night in between evidence analyses. It's for his nephew's birthday."  
  
"His nephew?"  
  
"Yeah. You know, his sister and her family are in town and the kid is really into gross, so Nick promised the ultimate in edible grossness," Archie laughed. "I thought the gummy worms were a nice touch."  
  
Catherine stared at the 'dessert' for a moment, thinking about what she had gone through every time she'd opened the fridge door. She remembered how it was never there when she opened the fridge with a witness nearby. And she remembered how Nick was always heading toward the break room just as she was leaving. As calmly as possible, she asked "Where's Nicky?"  
  
Within minutes, Nick ran by the door, skidded to a stop and poked his head in the room. "Mind putting that back in the fridge? It has to set a little longer before I can take it home." He suddenly looked back the way he had come and continued running down another corridor. Jaqui and Archie watched his progress through the glass walls until he disappeared. Turning, they watched Catherine walk by, heading down a different corridor than the one Nick had taken.  
  
"You guys seen Nick?" asked Warrick, leaning into the room. "We're supposed to be going for breakfast and it's his turn to pay."  
  
"I'm not sure he'll be joining you any time soon," said Jaqui.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Nick's in the locker room hiding from Catherine," Archie replied.  
  
**-END-**


End file.
